Sex addiction is sexual behavior a person feels they have no control over. More often than not, it leads to psychological distress and can have a huge impact on the sufferer’s personal and professional functioning.
As with any addiction, sexual addiction comes with a long list of negative consequences. If you think that you may have a problem, it’s important to seek sex addiction help as soon as possible in order to minimize the risk of any long-term damage occurring.
It can lead to mental health problems
Sexual addiction and the compulsive thoughts and behaviors that come with it will eventually take a toll on your mental wellbeing.
It’s not uncommon for sufferers to internalize feelings of guilt and shame because of the way the world views addiction. Because of this, if you have a sexual addiction, you may also feel:
- Abnormal
- Sick
- Guilty
- Regretful
- Depressed and hopeless
- Numb
- Self-hatred
- Lonely
- Moral conflict
- A fear of abandonment
You may experience psychiatric problems too – most commonly, depression (sometimes with suicidal thoughts), anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), chronic low self-esteem or intense anxiety. If you’re experiencing any of the feelings mentioned above, please contact us to find out more about sexual addiction in Toronto.
It can cause physical health problems
In addition to the mental, emotional and relational side effects of sex addiction, there can also be physical side effects for the person who is addicted and potentially, for their partner as well.
This can include:
- An increased likelihood of contracting a sexually transmitted disease (STD)
- Physical injury to the genitals from aggressive or excessive sexual behaviors
- You could turn to self-harm or even suicide if you feel you can’t cope
It can destroy relationships
With sex addiction often comes lies, betrayal and infidelity. In a romantic relationship, this will naturally have a negative impact and could even cause it to come to an end. It’s not uncommon for those with an addiction to sex to suffer from broken and distant relationships. 40% do in fact report severe marital and other relationship problems.
Some of the most common relational side effects of sex addiction include:
- Loss of trust because of lies, deceit and denial over hurtful acts which have been carried out
- Difficulty in achieving real intimacy. This can either be because of violations of trust that have occurred or because sexual partners are looked at more as objects than as individuals (the truth is that for most people struggling with sex addiction, they did not have true intimacy even prior to the discovery).
- Relationship breakdowns because of infidelity, lies or lack of trust
- Infidelity can lead to a loss of self-esteem for both people in the relationship
- The person with the addiction is often absent (usually emotionally but sometimes physically as well)
It can put a financial burden on you
It’s not unusual for sex addiction to lead to financial difficulties. You may lose your job or even if you do manage to stay in employment, you could be leading a lifestyle that you can’t maintain financially. Prostitutes, escorts, strip clubs, paying for pornography and the cost of traveling for the purpose of sexual hook-ups can soon add up.
You risk suffering from other addictions
A staggering 83% of people with a sexual addiction have co-occurring addictions such as alcoholism, drug addiction, an eating disorder or compulsive gambling.
The reason for this is because as feelings of loneliness, helplessness and depression increase, you’re more likely to turn to alcohol, drugs or anything else that provides you with a temporary release or eases the pain of your emotional struggles.
If you think that you may have a problem and would like further information about sex addiction recovery in Toronto, please contact us in the strictest of confidence and we will be more than happy to help.
